Young men going to perform national service (NS) should be comprehensively screened for heart conditions, said Dr Leslie Lam, a cardiologist in private practice.

This can perhaps prevent sudden cardiac death, added the heart specialist.

Dr Lam is one of several heart specialists who are asking for all pre-enlistees to undergo treadmill tests and echocardiograms.

The call comes in the wake of the deaths of two young servicemen during training.

The treadmill test may be able to help doctors find out how well the heart handels physical stress while an echocardiogram uses an ultrasound to provide information about the structure and function of the heart.

These two tests can detect abnormalities that might put the men at risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD), an abrupt loss of heart function. These men may or may not have been diagnosed with heart disease.

Though this condition occurs more often in older men because of clogging of the arteries, there are many complications that can arise in younger men too.

However, the cost of these tests are quite high. Dr Lam told The Straits Times that he believed it might cost about $3 million to screen 10,000 recruits.

"But, it would be money well spent as it prevents men in their prime from dying suddenly," he added.

Not all heart experts agree with him though.

Dr Lim Chin Hock, another cardiologist in private practice, said to The Straits Times: "Even if we did all the tests for every recruit, it does not mean we will be able to avert all sudden cardiac deaths."

For a healthy individual with no family history of heart disease, the chances of collapsing from SCD are small - estimated as one in 1,000.

Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean told Parliament that in the preceding nine years, 19 Singapore Armed Forces personnel had died of sudden heart attacks - including five who collapsed during training.